Get ready to jet set from the sandy beaches of the South of France to the cobblestone lined streets of Rome, Italy.

Sit back and enjoy a frothy cappuccino as you travel with us over the course of this series to the Eternal City.  Tour world-famous landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Forum and the Pantheon.  Learn of not-to-miss sights while exploring Italy’s capital city.  And of course, discover the history behind famous Roman lure.

While on your trip to Rome don’t forget to throw a coin into Trevi Fountain to ensure a return to the ancient city.  And most of all remember, When in Rome…

Most people get their first glimpse of southern France in an art gallery: Perhaps no place on earth has been home so many celebrated painters, leading some critics to put it on a par with Paris and New York as an international art center.

The influx began in the late 19th century, when the Impressionists Paul Cézanne and Jean Renoir became captivated by the south’s dazzling light, its sun-baked towns, the azure sea views and color-saturated hillsides.   Passionate about painting en plein air, “in open air,” they were naturally drawn to a land with over 330 days of annual sunshine.  (Cézanne took his love of the outdoors to extremes, and by 1906, at the age of 67 was still painting in the mountains near his home, Jas de Boffon in Aix-en-Provence; he was finally caught in a storm and collapsed, dying not long afterwards).

The roster of painters who either lived or holidayed in southern France, particularly Provence and the Riviera, becomes a who’s who of modern art: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Monet, Cocteau, Leger, Degas, Dufy, Braque and Dali were all inspired by the landscape here.

But perhaps the most prolific and celebrated artist to fall in love with the south was Pablo Picasso: He first visited the Mediterranean coast in 1939 (producing optimistic works with names like Joie de Vivre) and he returned to live in the south permanently after the Second World War, moving between beachside residences and a castle in Vauvernargues, near Cezanne’s home in Aix.  Picasso found the landscape liberating, declaring that “in Paris, I never draw fauns, centaurs, or mythical creatures… yet they always seem to live in these parts.”  Until his death in 1973 at the ripe age of 92, he stayed up until 3 am every night painting in his hilltop villa in Mougins, ceaselessly attempting to capture the magic of the South.

“They are not vegetables but miracles,” declared one gourmand recently of the wild black truffle, the rare dark tuber found buried beneath the oak trees of southern France.

The scarcity of this subterranean fungus, combined with its delicate flavor and unique, pungent aroma, has made it an obsession amongst food-lovers and driven prices as high as $500 a pound.  This “truffle-mania” dates back to Roman times: Ancient scientists, intrigued by the tuber’s curvaceous shape and underground birth, believed they were of magical origins and declared them aphrodisiacs.

In the Middle Ages, their scent was thought to evoke the ruffled sheets of a bordello, and monks were forbidden to eat them in case they would provoke indecent desires.  But truffles truly came into fashion under the hedonistic “Sun King” Louis XIV, who demanded they be served at the royal table in Versailles.

By the 19th century, with the rise of haute cuisine, French chefs were worshipping them as “diamonds of the kitchen.”  Demand soared, and the sight of truffle hunters traipsing across the countryside every fall and winter with their enormous waddling pigs became one of the most picturesque images of southern France.  Sows were the traditional beast of choice for hunters.  (Female hogs find the truffle’s scent very close to that of an aroused male and seek them out voraciously).  But pigs have the unfortunate habit of devouring the truffles they find, so in recent years dogs have been trained to sniff out and dig up the elusive fungi.

Sadly for gourmands, production has plunged in the last century due to deforestation and lack of manpower in rural areas; southern markets once exported 1000 tons of the tubers, but the amount is now closer to 50. Modern biotechnologists are coming up with new plans to cultivate the truffles in larger quantities, but true gourmands, it seems, will always hold the wild truffle supreme.

If you have a spare afternoon in Nice, take a taxi ride to the promontory of Cap Ferrat, France’s most exclusive playground for the rich and famous.  Its perfect beaches and steep hillsides are encrusted with fabulous “dream villas” built throughout the last century.

Most of these are private – but the two most historic properties, only 20 minutes walk apart, are open to the public and offer a glimpse into the storybook lives of millionaires past.

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Continuing our post from Friday, here are five more Nice, France gems just waiting to be discovered.

Cimiez
Old world meets new in this wealthy residential suburb north of town. Reminders of an ancient Roman past, including an intact amphitheatre and public baths, are juxtaposed with a vibrant modern art scene.

Molinard Perfume Factory
For an aromatic day trip, visit the fragrant town of Grasse and its famed perfume industry. Make your way to Molinard, where a keen sense of smell can help you concoct your own signature line.

Centre de Plongée Sous-Marine
The shimmering Mediterranean entices many visitors to take a closer look. Dive into the azure blue sea to discover underwater caves and view the magnificent blue gorgonians, which is actually a spindly red coral.

Rue de France
Exclusive clothiers. Sidewalk cafés. Trinkets and treasures alike. Give in to the impulse to spend an afternoon (or three) along this decadent pedestrian mall.

Monaco/Monte-Carlo
The glittering of this famous place is highly recommended.

We hope that these Nice must-see sights will help you get more vacation from your vacation and serve as a planning resource for your French Riviera vacation.

Packing your bags for a vacation in Nice, France, or are you dreaming about turning your travel dreams into reality?  Either way, when visiting the French Riviera, get off the beaten path and visit these French hot spots.

Neptune
This is arguably one of the finest private beaches found along the seaside walkway. Make sure to take advantage of the surplus of activities on offer. Everything from pedalo boats to jet skis to lazy lounge chairs.

Cours Saleya
Nice’s best-known market, this pedestrian district is attractively laid out, teeming with colorful stalls and lined with pleasant cafés and restaurants. No matter what time of day it is, there’s always something happening here.

L’Escalinada
Visit this delectable hideaway for simple home cooking along a back street of the cobbled Old Town. Snack on courgette flower beignets while choosing a handmade pasta. For a light lunch, try the hometown pride-salade Niçoise.

Mont Boron
Fabulous vistas of the Port of Nice and the Promenade des Anglais await at the top of Mont Boron, the home to several hillside celebrity villas. An easy walk along the downhill path back to the city adds a storybook ending to a sun-soaked day along the Côte d’Azur.

Check back on Tuesday next week as we continue providing you with local sites waiting to be discovered.

Everyone who has seen To Catch a Thief, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 classic, will recognize the Grand Corniche, that stunning coastal highway snaking along the cliffs above Nice to Monaco.  In the film, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly speed in sleek convertibles around its hairpin bends with the wind in their hair, confirming the Riviera’s new golden age of celebrity glamour in the post-war years.

For the Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly, the romance with the area would endure, with tragic consequences.  In 1955, she returned from the US to Cannes for the Film Festival and met the dashing Prince Rainier of Monaco; they married the next year in a fairytale ceremony broadcast around the world.  Kelly’s wedding dress was tailored by the famous Hollywood designer Helen Rose and took a dozen seamstresses six weeks to make; the 600 guests included film stars David Niven (a former beau), Gloria Swanson and Ava Gardner.  But in 1982, while driving the same stretch of the Grand Corniche that had been filmed with Hitchcock, the 52-year-old Kelly suffered a stroke, losing control of her car and plunging off an embankment with her daughter Stephanie.  By a miracle, the daughter survived, but Kelly died; her funeral was watched by 100 million people worldwide.

Today, it is difficult to imagine such dark thoughts while navigating the Grand Corniche, with its endless views over the sparkling Mediterranean.  But for anyone afraid of heights, there are convenient alternatives – the Moyenne Corniche and Corniche Inférieure, (Middle and Lower Corniches) – which provide the splendor without vertigo.

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We think of the Riviera as a summer resort, but it first took off as an escape for the winter months.  During the giddy period known in France as la belle époque – “the beautiful era” of the late 1890s and early 1900s, when the country enjoyed a delicious spell of prosperity and peace – a new railroad connection from Paris to Nice allowed aristocrats to easily swap the gloomy northern shores for the Mediterranean coast, which basked in sunshine all year long.

The English were particularly fond of wintering in the Riviera, and their presence transformed Nice from a quiet fishing port to a chic seaside paradise.  They funded the now-famous beachfront walkway, called the Promenade des Anglais (English Promenade) which remains the symbolic heart of the city, always crowded with walkers, bicyclists and roller-bladers.

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Bonjour!

We invite you to journey this month to the French Riviera.  Spend a lazy afternoon with your toes in the sand as you admire the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean, or stroll along the elegant beachfront walkway called the Promenade des Anglais.

In our series we will share local Nice, France must-see sights and provide suggestions for getting off the beaten path to enjoy the city that lies on the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels).  Also, during your visit learn the truth about truffles, explore the villas of Cap Ferrat, and go beyond the art galleries with the history behind many famous French paintings.

Escape with us from the winter weather and enjoy your trip to the sunny and temperate climate of the South of France.

Oktoberfest in Munich is the mother of all drinking festivals. It might just also be the origin of a slew of clichés about Germans and their culture.

Take lederhosen. It just wouldn’t be Oktoberfest if there were no men in short leather overalls celebrating under the massive blue and white Oktoberfest tents. Lederhosen are a traditional costume tied to the German-speaking Alpine regions since the middle ages. Outside of Bavaria, the occasional lederhosen-wearing gentleman may appear in public, but it’s rare and the men are probably over 60.

Oompah music played by a band of tubas and trumpets while beer drinkers link arms and sway to the oom-pah beat is another must-have at Oktoberfest. Does that mean Germans from Berlin to the Black Forest break out the tuba at the first opportunity? Hardly. Schlager is the music of choice when Germans gather to celebrate. These syrupy pop hits from the 1950s to today are branded into the minds of most Germans, who sing along once the beer is flowing.

Speaking of beer, the beer stein is a favorite souvenir from Germany – the stein with its hinged lid was a 15th century Bavarian attempt to keep the flies away during plague times. But today, if Germans aren’t drinking their beer out of the bottle, they drink it out of a glass – so finding a classic stein outside of a souvenir shop or selected areas of Bavaria is hard. At Oktoberfest, beer is served in a Maß, a liter of lager in one fat glass mug. (Beware: Some bartenders at the festival short change you on beer, filling half the glass with foam.)